Who said it would be easy?

Chap 2:You Can't Run Away From The Past

The rain wasn't as pleasant as it used to be. Dannie could only dread the liquid pouring down on her. She could barely breathe. The thoughts of him surrounded her as she ran through the storm. Wind blew her hair back and droplets held it down against her shoulders, soaking her down to the bone. Her eyes lifted to the skies above her wondering why did it have to rain when she was still trying to get over the reason why she loved it? It was all a cruel joke.

She pushed back her bangs from her face as she finally made it to the dining hall. Standing in the foyer, she caught the scent of food and her stomach tightened. She was no longer as hungry as she thought she was. Her heart was not focused on food, and now she was focused on the man who wasn't far away anymore. It was as if he was standing there behind her. It was only a matter of time. Knowing that she hadn't eaten all day, she pushed herself to go inside. She gave her card to the cashier to be swiped in for the meal. Walking in alone was still new...It wasn't that she was forcing herself to eat, it was more of running away from the rain outside. She didn't want to have another attack in the rain again.

She pushed her hair to the side and braided it, making it look somewhat decent from the rain induced greasy look that she had just a few seconds before. Finding a table, she set down her keys on the surface and placed her jacket on the back of the seat.

"Are you sitting alone?" A familiar voice came into her ears, surprising her.

The sight of green eyes met her own and a smile came across her face. "Maggie, hey." She said softly.

Maggie returned the smile, setting down her plate. "Do you mind if I sit with you?' She asked, repeating a form of the question that she already asked. Dannie quickly shook her head. "No, sit on down. I'll be back with food." Dannie moved away from the table, leaving her to sit down and start on her food. Walking into the buffett area, she looked around, getting pasta and a piece of toast that was a little harder than it should be. She didn't care. She probably wasn't going to touch most of it anyways. Grabbing a fork and a drink from the fountain, she walked back to her seat. Across from Maggie, she settled into her seat and started picking at her food.

"I haven't seen you in a while." Maggie said.

Dannie glanced upward and shrugged her shoulders. "Been busy with school." She said, shoving a little piece of pasta into her mouth.

Maggie sighed. "That's not what I mean. I haven't seen you in a while." She said.

Lifting a brow, Dannie looked at the woman. Between them, years have spread them apart. Pasts, desires in life, and yet they still fought for a friendship. Despite their upbringing, she was sure that there wasn't going to be much between them anymore. Ever since they had come to college, things had been different. Especially after becoming apart of the community here, nothing had been the same. "Like I said, I've been studying a lot. I can't just read it and completely understand what I'm reading like you can." Dannie said, a little darker than how she meant it.

There was silence for a moment. "I don't understand why you are putting up a front, Dan. I mean, what has happened that has made you shut down?" She asked.

Don't you remember? A few months ago? Dannie thought to herself before she shrugged her shoulders, putting another small bite in her mouth. "There really isn't anything to tell. It's been what a few months since I have seen you and talked to you?" Dannie asked. Why did she always have to bring up the past?

Maggie began to blabber and Dannie began to lose herself again. Her fingers were shaky and she felt her stomach tighten. He was the reason why that she left her best friend and not really talked to her anymore. Now, she was facing the consequences. Now, she was trying to save herself embarrassment from admitting that she wanted revenge for the entire situation...Her eyes flitted to the side and she found people she knew. All were laughing and enjoying their time while they ate. Dannie sat there, feeling defensive from the girl she thought she called best friend.

"Are you even listening to me?" Maggie asked.

Dannie nodded. "Yes, go on." She said, setting her fork down softly down on the plate. She wasn't hungry anymore.

"Just because we haven't seen each other in a while, it doesn't mean I haven't forgotten about you." She said.

Dannie watched her, and crossed her arms over her chest while leaning close to the table. "I know. I've just been going through a lot. Classes are hard this semester." She said, trying to hold herself together. There weren't many secrets shared between them anymore. How could they? It would bring up the pasts...Right?

Maggie finished up her plate, while Dannie stared down at her plate which was half eaten. "Are you okay?" Maggie spoke, setting her silverware on the plate, signalling she was finished.

She couldn't help but nod in response. No words passed her lips and she didn't meet her gaze. There were other things that she had to go and do today before class. "Yeah, I'm not really that hungry anymore. I'm not particularly feeling well. So I'm going to head back and take some Advil before heading to class."

"You can't keep running away from this, Dannie, but go take care of yourself." She said and leaned back, glancing around.

Dannie nodded in response, gathered her things and walked away, ready to face the rain again.